


Dadda

by QueenCarol



Category: The Walking Dead (TV), carzekiel - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Baby Fic, F/M, sweetness all around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:54:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26841715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenCarol/pseuds/QueenCarol
Summary: Having a baby with the love of her life has been her biggest wish.  Now, she gets to watch Ezekiel grow into the biggest title there is; Dadda.
Relationships: Ezekiel/Carol Peletier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Dadda

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character, part of script or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
> 
> In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economical/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
> 
> No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Original characters are property of the author.

She’s dreaming. It has to be a dream. 

Either that or she’s delirious and all of this is a fever dream.

The twin lines on the pregnancy test have to been en error. She sure of it, that’s why she takes nine more tests while hiding in a tiny bathroom stall of the store. When the first one came back positive she’d stared at it for an eternity, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes because they were obviously seeing things. She then starts ripping through the next boxes, peeing and waiting with trembling hands.

Two lines.

Two lines.

A cross.

Two lines.

Pregnant.

A cross.

Two lines. 

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

She’s pregnant. She’s actually pregnant.

They’d been trying for so long to have a baby that after five years of marriage she had been sure having a child was simply not in the cards for them. It was the one thing they wanted the most and the one thing that they simply didn’t get. Month after month they had taken test after test, all coming back negative. The child they most wished for, a child born of their love, simply didn’t come.

Crestfallen, she and Ezekiel had focused on the blessings they’d each had; Sophia and Henry. They’d shared stories of the children that were, adventures that were long completed, memories of the good, and the bad times. Every single time they remembered the children they had loved and lost, they came to the conclusion that both Henry and Sophia would have loved each other and would have loved the baby that would come to their family. Even if that baby didn’t seem to have a rush to get there.

She is pregnant. She is finally pregnant. A little part of her and Ezekiel is growing within her. Thriving. Living. She is pregnant.

The need to share the news with the love of her life makes her fly out of the stall with the sticks in the plastic bag that had been given to her. She rushea to the car, turnes it on, and practically speeds home. She hasn’t taken a moment to stop and think until she is closing the door of their little home behind her.

“Okay Carol, take a deep breath.” She mumbles under her breath as she presses her back to the door.

She has to think of a way to tell him. It has to be special. They’ve been waiting for this for so long to not make a big deal out of it. He’ll be home in less than an hour so her time is short but Carol’s sure she’ll be able to think of something. 

She’ll cook his favorite dish and make it a candlelight dinner. Then she’ll tell him over dessert. But how exactly should she tell him? She can’t just blurt it out. No, it has to be special. 

“Oh!” Carol exclaims as a thought flashes through her mind.

When they had decided to start trying for a baby, Ezekiel had brought home a little itty bitty shirt. He’d bought it from the zoo’s gift shop and had proudly presented it to her as their baby’s first gift. The pale green shirt had a cartoon tiger on its center surrounded by the words ‘my daddy loves tigers’. When he’d presented it to her she had giggled before wrapping her arms around his neck and declaring that it was the perfect gift. She’d washed it and folded it and had kept it in one of her drawers. Once they’d finished slowly furnishing the room designated as the nursery, Carol had switched the shirt from their room to the baby’s. It remained as the only article of clothing in there, neatly folded and safely kept for whenever either of them wanted to gently touch it or to remind themselves that a baby would eventually come to them.

Now Carol is going to use it to tell him their baby is finally coming. She’ll wrap it up and present it to him then wait to see if he catches the meaning of her gift.

Not wanting to be caught with the gift unwrapped once Ezekiel comes home, Carol makes a beeline towards the nursery. It is only when she’s halfway down the hallway that connects the living room to the bedrooms that she realizes she’s not alone. Soft thuds carry down the hallway followed by footsteps. She stops right away, all of her senses on high alert, her breathing instantly coming up in sharper breaths. 

The sound is coming from the nursery.

Someone is in her baby’s room.

Slowly Carol itches forward. The thuds come once again making her practically freeze in her spot. She needs to get out of the house. She needs to call the police and wait for them to come. She needs to keep her baby safe. Without making a sound Carol starts backing up, placing a foot behind the other. The last thing she needs is to get caught and get hurt.

A louder thud of something hitting the floor reverberates through the house followed by cursing. She freezes once more, this time not in fear but full of confusion.

“Zeke?” She asks as she takes a step forward. “Babe, are you home?”

Carol hears footsteps rushing towards the hallway which only stirs her curiosity. What is he doing home so early? What is he doing in the nursery? Just as she’s about to turn into the room, Ezekiel appears in front of her and blocks her entrance. 

“Hey,” he mumbles nervously. “You... you are home early.”

Tilting her head to the side, Carol places her hands on her hips. “So are you. I thought your shift ended at two.”

“It did,” Ezekiel admits nervously. “School isn’t out for two more hours though. Shouldn’t you be in front of thirty 3rd graders until then?”

His nervousness makes her narrow her eyes. He’s never nervous unless he’s hiding something from her. What could he be hiding in the nursery though? Standing on tiptoes, Carol tries to look over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of whatever he’s doing in the nursery but he straightens up to cover her view. 

“Ezekiel...” She says in a warning voice.

“Yes, my love?”

“What are you up to?”

He knows he’s been caught, Carol can see it in the way his shoulders slouch forward and in the sigh of defeat he lets out. He raises a hand and scratches the back of his neck to try and stall. His chocolate eyes raise to look into hers which prompts him to sigh again. He takes a step back, finally letting her into the nursery.

It doesn’t take her long to find out what he had been doing. In the middle of the beautifully painted nursery where the beautiful mahogany crib had once stood, all she finds are the separated pieces of wood placed about the floor. They are carefully laid out, categorized, and inventoried. Besides the pieces of the crib lays a gallon-sized tub of paint that promises to cover any color previously placed on the walls. To the side of that is a forgotten paint roller, a paint bin, and a screwdriver. 

“What... what are you doing?” She asks completely flabbergasted. The last thing she would have expected to see was the crib that he’d spent so long building completely dismantled. “Zeke?”

“Let me explain, my love.” He begs as he moves between her and the pieces of the crib. “It’s not... it’s not what you think.”

“What am I thinking?”

“I’m not giving up. This... this isn’t me giving up.” He takes a step to her, his hand instantly smoothing against her still flat belly. “I’m not giving up.” He repeats in a softer tone, a tone she only heard him use whenever he talks about Henry and Sophia. A soft yet raw tone that speaks only of truth. 

“Then... What..? Why..?” She hates to sound like a stammering fool but what she has just stumbled upon has truly left her speechless. 

“The thing I want the most in this universe is to see you grow with our child,” Ezekiel admits. “To have a baby with you.”

“Then why are you dismantling the crib?”

“Because every month I see you fall into despair whenever the test comes back negative. Every time your cycle starts I see the sadness in your eyes, in your heart, and it feels as if I’ve been run through with a hot knife. Whenever you come in here and see it bare of a child, our child, I know a part of you slowly dies because a part of me does as well. Having a baby with you is my biggest dream but I can’t keep putting you through it and expecting this place to not hurt you. I love you, whether or not we have a child, and your well-being is what matters the most to me.”

“Ezeki-“

“I asked to leave work early so I could take down the furniture and start painting it. I wanted to turn this into a sanctuary for you; a place for you to read, to meditate, to do whatever you need to do.” Ezekiel pulls his hand away from her belly but reaches for her hands, unable to lose the physical connection between them. “This isn’t me giving up, just putting it away until we need it. Once our baby is here, once our dream becomes a reality, I will put it all back together in a heartbeat. I will repeat the whole room! For you and our baby.”

She understands what he’s tried to do and basks on the love that floods through her for him. In order to protect her, Ezekiel has tried to take away what he believes is a source of pain. He’s tried to turn a place of unfulfilled hopes into a sanctuary. For her. 

Gently, she pulls a hand away from their clasped hands and raises it to cup his cheek. Her thumb sweeps back and forth against the roughness of his beard before once again rising on tiptoes to press a kiss to his full lips. A kiss is not enough though so she places tiny kisses, one after the other, and presses herself against his body. 

When she pulls back from the kiss, a happy tear slides down her cheek. “Why are you so perfect?” She asks. “And what did I ever do to deserve you?”

Ezekiel half grins at her. She can see he’s still a little bit hesitant that she might be mad at him and aches to kiss away that hesitation. Of course, he has no idea what she just found out; no idea that a baby is already growing within her, that their wish is coming true, and that this room will no longer mean pain or worry. 

“You... you aren’t mad?” It’s rare that he ever stammers but Carol knows he probably spent all his time practicing what he would tell her so the blow of finding the room changed would be less impactful. If she didn’t know better she would have probably been heartbroken, if she was being honest. However, his love for her, his desire for her to be okay would have overridden anything else.

“No.”

“Hmmm,” he hums as he digests her reply. “Let down?”

Carol shakes her head at him. “No. I know what you did came from a good place. I believe you haven’t given up.”

“Are you sure?” He asks as he leans down a little, enough to be at her height so that he can see into her eyes. 

“I am.” She promises before reaching up to rub the tears away from her cheek. “I’m not mad, or pissed off, or let down. I love you, Zeke, and... even in doing this, you are showing me how much you love me. Me. Not everything else, just me.”

He smiles a little bigger though the smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. She knows what will make him smile fully, which will make his eyes sparkle as bright as ever. Even though she already had an idea of what she wanted to do to tell him the big news, this is an opportunity she can’t pass. “I’m just a little worried that all your work was for nothing, my love.” She says nonchalantly as she moves towards the set of drawers where the little shirt laid.

“Because you got here early?” Judging by the direction of his voice, Carol knows he has followed her movements. “Which you have still to explain, by the way.”

Carol hides the smile that comes to her lips. She pulls out the drawer, letting the sound of wood smoothing across wood cover the silence that follows his voice. With reverence, she carefully pulls out the folded shirt before pressing it to her chest and closing the drawer. Pulling at the bag that hangs from her wrist, Carol pulls out one of the tests and quickly hides it between the folds of the T-shirt material before placing the remaining tests in the bag on the counter.

With the shirt still pressed against her chest, mostly covered by both of her hands, she turns toward Ezekiel. She tries to control her expressions but she knows there is no hiding the smile on her lips. “I had to leave work early. I wasn’t feeling very well, certainly not up to teaching the kids anything without lunch making a visit.”

His smile instantly melts into a frown. He’s worried about her before she’s even finished speaking. “I’m okay now.” She quickly reassures him. “I... I made a quick stop at a store though.”

His face turns from concerned to confused. She has always been able to tell his emotions by the expressions he wears, especially in his eyes. Not wanting him to worry more than necessary, Carol pulls the shirt and test away from her chest and offers it to him. Ezekiel looks at the shirt puzzled before reaching over to gently caress the little tiger. A smirk appears on his lips but his eyes still flicker with confusion as he looks up to her. 

“You didn’t buy this at the store.” Ezekiel declares.

Carol shakes her head at him. “No, I didn’t. You bought it for our baby.”

Ezekiel’s gaze falls back to the shirt and continues to caress the shirt reverently. “I remember.”

“I went to buy something else though. Something that’s hidden in the shirt.” She nudges the offering towards him to urge him to search. Ezekiel looks at her weirdly but does as she wants, unfolding the shirt gently. His hand is steady as he pulls the layers apart but halts as soon as the white and purple stick is revealed.

“Ba.... babe?” This has to be some sort of record; she’s managed to make him stammer twice in less than an hour. 

“I wasn’t feeling well. I left early to go to the doctor but halfway there I realized I didn’t want to go and hear what I’ve heard before. I didn’t want them to tell me I was imagining things or jumping to the wrong conclusions.” she explains, her gaze locked with his in order to watch the realization slowly dawn on him. “So I stopped at a store. I bought every kind of test they had. One of each brand. Then I went into the bathroom and peed.”

With trembling fingers, Ezekiel reaches for the stick. It’s laying face down so he can’t see the results right away. Silently, Carol waits for him to turn it around. He seems to be taking a moment to ponder, or perhaps pray but finally, he turns the stick and brings it up higher. 

Carol knows what he is staring at. She knows he’s seeing it as clear as she had. The digital word declaring that she is pregnant. She is pregnant.

His eyes fill with tears right away which only seems to cause her own again. Her chin trembles as she sees his eyes read the word over and over. It is only when he lowers the test and turns to look at her with a look of pure astonishment that she gives him a nod. 

“Are... are you sure? You are... are pregnant?”

Carol let’s out a happy sob and nods right away again. She turns quickly to motion towards the plastic bag on the dresser. “All the tests say the same thing. I’m... I’m pregnant.”

While Ezekiel is a positive outlook type of guy, Carol has only once seen him one time be so excited that he happily throws his hands up in the air. That time had been when he’d been down on a knee, asking her in front of all of their friends to marry him and she had said yes. Now it seems that he’s reached the ultimate happiness as he lets out a huge belly laugh that bounces all over the soft yellow painted walls.

Seeing him this happy makes her feel incredible. She’s about to repeat the words when he swoops in and pulls him against her, picking her up just slightly and pressing her against his chest. “We are having a baby? You are pregnant? I’m going to be a Dadda?”

Carol nods and raises one hand to cup his cheek, brush away his tears, and pulls him close to her lips. “Yes. Yes. And definitively yes!” She breathes out before pressing a deep kiss to his lips.

She can feel the happiness radiating from deep within him throughout their kiss. They’ve been waiting for the chance to be parents again for so long. Both Sophia and Henry had been taken from them before they’d met each other and they had carried the pain deep within them. Opening themselves to having children was hard but something they both wanted more than anything. The wait had been torturous but they were finally getting their baby.

Ezekiel gently lowers her until she’s back on her feet but instantly kneels in front of her. Carol can’t help the small giggle that burst forth as he stares at her flat belly, his hands hovering over where their baby will grow. The need for physical connection becomes too much for her so she reaches over to smooth her hand against his dreads. He glances up at her at the feel of her hand and gives her a loving smile before turning back towards her belly and finally touching it. 

It’s the first time he’s touching her belly knowing that his child grows within her.

She can already see the love blossoming in his eyes, feel it in his touch.

God, she loves him so much.

“Hi, baby,” Ezekiel whispers near her tummy. “I’m your Dadda. I love you so much. I can’t wait to meet you.”

Happy tears slide down Carol’s face at the sight of Ezekiel talking to their baby. It’s so pure and so tender that it makes her heartache. She wants to freeze the moment forever and quickly tries to commit to memory every single detail of his face; from the way he smiles to the way his eyes sparkle. She wants to be able to remember the weight of his touch on her belly and the way he’s protectively caressing it. He’s going to be the greatest father, there is no doubt about it.

As if she couldn’t love him anymore, Ezekiel leans in and presses the sweetest kiss to her flat belly. “Now I really have to put that crib back together.” He declares playfully.

“Not today, though.” She knows they have some time to fix it back up, to fill it with every ounce of love they’ve held back in fear of it never happening. Now, now they need to celebrate.

She smooths her hands down from his hair towards his arm to guide him up to her level. Her lips press against his as soon as he’s standing, losing herself in his kiss and taste. His arms wrap around her, pulling her closer to his body, cradling her as if she’s his whole world. She feels protected in his arms, loved so completely that nothing else matters but what is in the room at that very moment. Him. Her. Their baby.

When he breaks their kiss, Ezekiel presses his forehead to hers. “It’s happening, is finally really happening.”

“It is, Dadda.” She teases him.

Ezekiel’s smile grows wider at hearing the term. A laugh grows deep in his throat which she feels reverberate against her chest. The vibrations calm and sooth away whatever her worries she might have had. 

“I love you, Mama.” He teases in return. “And I can’t wait to raise this baby with you. Our baby.”

She can’t wait either.

TBC

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a few good AU baby story. I’m aiming to have your ovaries hurting by the end of this.


End file.
